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Disney expected to dominate Emmys with 183 nominations

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Dana Walden's leadership credited for Disney's ( DIS ) TV success

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Disney's ( DIS ) acquisition of Fox pivotal in Emmy nominations

By Dawn Chmielewski and Lisa Richwine

LOS ANGELES, Sept 13 (Reuters) - The Emmy Awards, the

highest honors in television, had evolved into an annual battle

for bragging rights between two prestige-TV powerhouses - HBO

and Netflix ( NFLX ). This year, Walt Disney ( DIS ) is

the company expected to land on top.

Under the leadership of veteran television executive Dana

Walden, Disney was propelled to front-runner status by three of

the most-nominated series of the year, "Shogun," "The Bear" and

"Only Murders in the Building."

The entertainment giant has a head-start going into Sunday's

Emmy ceremony, which will be broadcast live on Disney-owned ABC.

Disney collected 51 awards at last weekend's Creative Arts

Emmys, a record for the company. "Shogun," the FX political

thriller that takes place in feudal Japan, won 14 honors and is

the favorite to claim Sunday's top prize, the best drama trophy.

FX's dark comedy "The Bear" about a family-owned sandwich

shop aspiring to Michelin star greatness as a high-end

restaurant, is seen as the likely winner of best comedy,

according to awards watchers. The show garnered 23 nominations

-- a record for a comedy series.

Industry observers see Disney's ( DIS ) 183 Emmy nominations this

year as evidence of the company's creative resurgence, in living

rooms as well as in movie theaters, where two Disney films,

Pixar Animation's "Inside Out 2," and Marvel's "Deadpool &

Wolverine," broke box office records this summer.

Disney CEO Bob Iger laid the groundwork for the television

group's revival with the 2019 acquisition of most of Rupert

Murdoch's 21st Century Fox. That $71 billion purchase brought a

talented stable of television executives to Burbank, including

Walden, the former co-chief executive of Fox Television Group,

and John Landgraf, head of FX Networks, known for critically

acclaimed, boundary-pushing shows.

"With Disney, it definitely helps that they own so much.

That helps them boost their nomination numbers," said Joyce Eng,

senior editor at the awards publication Gold Derby. "If Disney

didn't own Fox, we wouldn't be talking about 'The Bear' and

'Shogun's' nominations."

Landgraf credits Walden with championing "Shogun," an

expensive period drama set in 17th-century Japan, where the

ruler dies and leaves an heir who's too young to assume power,

setting in motion a political power struggle. The actors are not

well known to American audiences and more than half the dialogue

is in Japanese.

"It was a big bet, and I needed her support in order to make

it," said Landgraf, who said he would not be discussing FX's

creative accomplishments this year "without both Bob and Dana.

Both of them had a really, really big hand in the events that

allowed this to happen. I'm proud of our creative partners, but

what enabled it was the right creative leadership."

Disney's ( DIS ) Emmy moment burnishes the reputation of Walden, who

is among the internal candidates being considered to succeed

Iger as chief executive. In addition to her television

portfolio, Walden shares oversight of the company's global

streaming business with Alan Bergman. The executives are

co-chairmen of Disney Entertainment.

Walden emerged as a top creative executive at Fox, where she

oversaw development and production of a string of popular shows,

including "24," "Glee," "Homeland," and "This Is Us."

"She's got great instincts and great taste," said Peter

Roth, former president of 20th Century Fox Television who gave

Walden her first job in programming. "She is the real deal. And

by the way, that's the reason she has such extraordinary

relationships, because these producers know that she is the real

deal."

Walden is known for her ability to deliver high-level

insights that help refine projects, a trait that has endeared

her to top creative talent, including prominent showrunners like

"This Is Us" creator Dan Fogelman and "Glee"'s Ryan Murphy, who

are making shows for Disney.

One high-level producer recalled how Hulu's acclaimed comedy

series "Only Murders in the Building" was originally pitched as

featuring three older actors. Walden suggested casting a younger

performer, a recommendation that led to the successful pairing

of former Disney Channel star Selena Gomez with veteran

comedians Steve Martin and Martin Short, the producer said.

"One thing that writers have told me, even writers who

don't love notes, is when they are stuck or blocked, Dana takes

the time to help them through it and always makes the script or

project better," said William Morris Endeavor co-founder Rick

Rosen, who worked with Walden on numerous successful television

shows, including "24" and "Homeland."

"Dana is, without question, one of the best creative

executives in the business," Rosen said.